~ serial lives: 22 years of writings & musings

tess – chapter 24

TESS IS OBLIGED, BECAUSE OF HER PHYSICAL BODY, TO HAVE A VERY BRIEF PERIOD OF rest at least once or twice a week and she must imbibe water a few times each day as well. These requirements are by request, and/or demand, from her physicalized body. In addition, her body requires her to have, at least, one recreational period a week or one period of non-work related activity. Tess would like to regard the required recreational period as an unnecessary one but she graciously honors her physicalized body’s request. Tess’ preference for this week, in regard to this once-a-week recreation period, is to spend an hour or so on NW 6th Street in downtown Portland, inside or around Union Station, a train station, and the Greyhound Bus terminal. Union Station in particular, on the west side of downtown, is a substantial historic building that has been beautifully restored on the inside. Between the train station and bus station, and the large/constant movement of lots of people, and the armies of cars/transport trucks in and around the area, Tess experiences, what she refers to as an ‘exquisite transitiveness’. She finds the area to be oddly reminiscent of the vibe of activity within the frequented coordinates of the dimensional reality in where she and the source family normally exists in.

Tess takes the foot bridge, which crosses the massive rail yards, from Union Station and she pauses in the middle of the bridge; there are the sounds of large locomotive machines underneath her; and she then multi-tasked by mentally impressing a text message, something about lessons, into her cellphone; a message for Jannet who is over 4000 miles to the east. Tess descends the bridge into the midst of a condo/apartment community. Several holographic projections of family members, these are spiritual guides, are waiting for her in silence. As a group, a group of one physicalized and several non-physical individuals, they make their way to NW 1st street and then head south walking parallel to the river.

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During the second week of November, late one night in the apartment, Mari Belen confirms that she will accompanied Jannet on her return flight to Portland, at the end of November, and she will stay for a few days before returning back to Madrid. “So, you will go to the airport with me? We will go together? We will be in the airport at the same time?” Jannet teases gently.

“Yes, girlfriend I will break my rule and we will be at the airport together.” Mari Belen exudes an exceptional smile. And at just that moment, Jannet’s cellphone vibrates. The screen goes pure gauzy white and the text appears, ‘Say yes to the lessons.’ Jannet is a little mystified but mostly curious about the message from Tess. And she notes likewise that it has been several days since their last contact.

“Do you need to respond to that?” inquires Mari Belen who is reading the newspaper. She usually read El País online or an El País physical newspaper copy; and Jannet sometimes read the English language edition of El País or a copy of the International Herald Tribune. Jannet nods her head no, as she puts down her phone.

“By the way, Jannet there is something that I want you to do for me.” Mari Belen decides to take this opportunity to present an idea to Jannet.

“Sure, what is it?” Jannet intuits that the request is related to her just received text message from Tess.

“How do you feel about taking swimming lesson? I would teach you myself of course. It would be fun and it is probably a good idea for you to finally learn how. And I know of a great location, near the city center, for the lessons.” Mari Belen projects towards Jannet a very sincere look. She is not quite sure about how Jannet will reacts yet she strongly believes it is essential for her to learn to swim. This urgency, on her part, comes in the wake of the recent near drowning incident near the football stadium.

Jannet’s first internal reaction is naturally a definite ‘no thanks’, but she reflects on Tess’ text message and she realizes that both Tess and Mari Belen do strongly consider swimming lessons to be important. “Ok, I will do it but you will personally teach me? Right?”

∙

The following Monday morning the two women are at the Deportiva-Municipal La Latina near the city center. It is a cold day in November, November of 2014. Mari Belen has broken the tension by first taking Jannet shopping for Speedo swim gear. Jannet purchases include a sturdy one-piece black swim suit along with other items. When they arrive to the sport complex, Jannet discovers a building which is substantial in size and topped with a number of fascinating half-domes. Jannet is impressed by the facilities which is located in an attractive section of downtown Madrid.

There is a tour of the facilities and Jannet enjoys the tour completely; and she suggests to Mari Belen that perhaps she might consider establishing a membership at this center. Jannet and Mari Belen sign up for a free-trial introductory day. They head for the locker rooms in order to change. Finally, the two enter the pool area and soon become nested in the shallow end. Mari Belen smoothly provides simple instructions and she provides seamlessly harmless demonstrations for Jannet. And Jannet nervously follows through with the initial training exercises. Subsequently Mari Belen’s cellphone vibrates; it is her work cellular phone, and it has been placed in her gym bag near one of the concrete edges of the pool. She apologizes and leaps out of the pool in order to retrieve the phone.

It is then that Jannet really notices the walls of glass panels about her that dominate the cavernous room. She becomes mesmerized by the two gigantic walls of glass which includes a series of interlocking rectangular-shaped window panes. The walls of glass scale about 3 or 4 stories in height.

Meanwhile Mari Belen quickly reads a phone text and consequently she dials the offices at Policía General. She instinctively turns her gaze toward Jannet who is standing waist deep in swimming pool water. Mari Belen notices the light shifting in the interior of the massive space, the sun beyond is now appearing from behind a bank of skyward clouds. She sees that Jannet evokes, for a moment, a now distinctly suggested ‘ancient and timeless countenance’, which she believes to be precisely identical to an appearance that she once observed when she had a spontaneous encounter with Jannet’s cousin months ago. It is a cryptic visage that she had once observed on Tess.